"I will tell you everything—no more lies. Just please...listen." Gael's voice was low and wistful, causing her heart to throb.

God. Angela wanted to just forget about everything she saw tonight. Things had been so good between them, and she even planned on telling him about Evan tonight. Who'd have thought her evening would turn out like this? It's as if the heavens were against her finding her happiness—they just had to strike a bolt of lightning straight to her heart.

Wanting so badly to sink into his arms yet also wanting to push him away, she struggled. And all she could do was stay still. "So when you told me you were going to have an important meeting, you were actually meeting your future wife? Why didn't you tell me? When were you going to tell me? After your wedding? Were you going to make me a mistress?"

The last word sickened her. Even just the thought of it felt like her heart was being crushed.

Another tear fell on her cheek, and he wiped it with his thumb. He was pissed at himself and everything that's happening between them. He hated seeing her like this—especially when he was the reason for her tears. "I wasn't lying to you when I told you I had an important meeting. We were already leaving. We weren't even supposed to come up to that party—that woman... Tonight was the first time I've ever met her. I'm here with Giovanni to meet with the Morellis. I didn't come here to be with that woman. You have to believe that."

"Yeah? It sure seemed that way when she was all over you on the dancefloor just now. Did you enjoy your dance? I bet you did," she croaked. "You even got me to dance with you last night. Was that for practice?"

"Of course not! What the hell? I'm not interested in anyone but you, Angel. Others can go fûck themselves."

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself off him, putting distance between them and looking away. How torturous was it that she was both hurt and mad that she wanted to slap him, yet she could never do so? "That doesn't change anything, Gael. You're still going to marry her anyway—"

"The hell I am!" he spat under gritted teeth. His head hurt because of how repulsed he was at the thought of being with anyone other than Angela.

He ran his trembling fingers through his hair in frustration, and then he stepped towards her. "What do you know about these people? They killed my grandfather and a lot of our family members. Three months ago, we lost men because of them. I almost died then...and right after that, they kidnapped my sister. Do you really think I'd marry into their family? I might be crazy, but I'm not a masochist. I'd rather die than be with the enemy."

Angela couldn't speak, much less look at him. She was afraid that if she gazed into his eyes, she wouldn't be able to handle it. She's overwhelmed by everything that she's hearing. What he said made sense. No one in their right mind would ever want to be with someone whose family killed their family. Even so, what's happening between them devastated her. The thought of him being with someone else was heartbreaking.

"Angel…" Gael reached out for her, gently cupping her face.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" she asked in almost a whisper, thinking about the many questions she was afraid to ask.

He let out a tired sigh. "I admit... I didn't think it was necessary to tell you because I had no plans to go through that fûcking marriage anyway. But I thought about telling you tonight...after the meeting. You said we were gonna talk. I would've come to you—"

She shrugged, a sad smile spreading across her lips. "Too bad I found out about it first, huh... Well, guess what? I don't know what to believe anymore."

"I swear to you, Angel. I am not marrying her."

"Fine." Angela swallowed, forcing herself to raise her stare and look at him. "Let's say you aren't. How are you stopping this...war? Are you sacrificing your family then because you don't want to marry her?"

"I... Wait... Your best friend... Is she…" His brows knitted as realization dawned on him. He had thought about it earlier for a brief second, but it still didn't make sense to him why she was here. But now that he'd caught up, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit. Filippo said it was a family gathering. Angela told him her best friend invited her to the family party. And when he came back to Esmea, all of a sudden, she knew about his identity, yet she was unwilling to tell him how she found out. All this time, Gael thought Becca or Samantha told her. He was too busy trying to get to her that he didn't consider looking into how she found out. The family he wanted to destroy was her best friend's family.

Gael glanced over his shoulder when he thought he heard something. Then he lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. "Angel... We have a plan, okay? None of us want this marriage to happen."

Feeling a massive headache creeping up her head, she briefly closed her eyes before facing him, her expression looking disinterested as she folded her arms under her chest. "Is that so? Then what's the plan, Gael?"

"I promise you, I will tell you. Just not here. There are eyes and ears everywhere."

Angela shook her head. "Forget it. I'm not interested to hear. Goodbye, Gael."

He swiftly stopped her by the arm. "Angel, wait—"

"Stop calling me that!" she snapped. Hot tears brimmed her eyes and immediately spilled out like a dam. She thought she could control herself, but the moment he called her that, she heard her heart break. "It hurts that you call me that."

And just as she broke down, Gael felt like a thousand daggers struck his chest. He pulled her into his arms, desperate to hold her close. Her back was flush against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "Baby, please. Don't leave like this."

"Why did you even come back?" she demanded in a low, breathy voice. "Why did you have to force your way back into my life only to do this to me? Did you not think how I would feel? When you brought me with you to meet your family, when you kissed me, hell—when you slept with me. Have you…" Her breathing hitched. She couldn't even finish her sentence because her tears fell uncontrollably.

He squeezed his eyes shut. How fûcking painful. What the hell was this feeling? This was worse than when he got shot. As he opened his eyes again, a tear escaped from the corner, and it slid down to her hair.

"Why did you come back, Gael? You had no business with me anymore. You told me you and I aren't going to happen, so why? Tell me why the hell are you here because I'm so confused."

He was supposed to talk about this with her later, but it looked like he wouldn't even get another chance after this. It was now or never.

"I know about what happened to you three years ago."

Angela froze. "What? W-What are you talking about?"

"Leos." He clenched his jaw. Just saying that bastard's name made him furious.

She pulled away and turned around. Horror filled her face, and she paled. "You had me investigated?"

"While I was trying to get my health back, I wanted to make sure you were safe. You've been avoiding your ex the whole time. I thought if I knew about the guy, I'd know how to help you get rid of him. Then I stumbled across the…" he trailed off.

"The what?" Her face hardened. When he looked away, she took a deep breath. His silence confirmed it. "You saw the video. So you knew the whole time. That's why you're here… That explains it."

"I wanted to wait until you were ready—"

"Enough." Angela held her hand out. "I can't." She mockingly chuckled as she wiped her cheeks. "So what do you think?" She opened her arms out and smiled. "You've seen the goods. How would you rate me?"

"Fûck. Stop! I care about you, Angela. I didn't come here for that. You didn't deserve to be humiliated like that. I swear to God, I'll—"

"Well done, Mr. De Luca." She swallowed the massive lump in her throat. No matter what he said, she just couldn't believe it anymore. "You really broke my heart."

"Don't leave," he asked as she turned away. He wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

"Oh, I'm not leaving." She raised her chin, not wanting to look weak. "I was officially invited. I'm here for my best friend. You... You can do whatever the hell you want. I don't care anymore."

And with that, Angela walked away.

***

Not a minute later, Giovanni appeared next to him on the balcony. They were quiet for a while until he started, "Gio…"

"Hm?"

"How much longer?"

Giovanni clamped his hand on Gael's shoulder and reassured him, "Soon."